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Difficulty

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The difficulty select menu in The Sacred Stones.

Difficulty modes are gameplay modes present in most games in the Fire Emblem series since Genealogy of the Holy War. Typically chosen at the beginning of a new game, they provide the player with varying levels of challenge. Difficulty levels can change many aspects of gameplay, such as enemy stats, behaviors, and much more; what each difficulty changes is dependent on the game involved, as well as the difficulty.

The most common change on higher difficulties is for enemies to have higher stats, which is typically accomplished by the game providing them a certain number of invisible level ups. In some games, such as The Binding Blade, some playable units may also receive stat boosts to help the player against the mode's tougher enemies.

This article provides an breakdown of all the universal and general changes made by each difficulty level in each game. More detailed information, such as the exact numbers of enemies, reinforcement timing, etc. can be found on each individual chapter or character page.

Fire Emblem Gaiden

Gaiden features two difficulty modes, though one of them is hidden.

Normal

The game's standard and highest difficulty.

Easy

A hidden difficulty mode accessible only by pressing Select + Start + A on the main menu. Easy Mode is identical to Normal Mode, except that all experience gain is doubled and items can be freely traded between routes. Additionally, both Alm's and Celica's armies have access to a single shared supply convoy, rather than each having their own separate convoy.

Fire Emblem: Genealogy of the Holy War

Normal

The game's standard difficulty.

Clever

Unlocked by completing the game once, Clever mode differs from other difficulties in the series by only affecting enemy AI behaviors. As the name suggests, it makes enemies more aggressive and intelligent. Enemy stats, quantities, positions, etc. are identical to those on Normal Mode.

Clever mode is also the first example of a difficulty that can be changed mid-playthrough; from the options menu, Clever mode can be toggled at any time.

Fire Emblem: The Binding Blade

Normal Mode

The game's standard difficulty.

Normal Mode save files are colored yellow.

Hard Mode

Unlocked by completing Normal Mode once. Enemies have higher stats, and there are more of them. The preparations shop is disabled. Note that, due to a bug, enemies present at the start of a battle in Chapters 1–5 are given bonus levels twice.

Hard Mode save files are colored red.

Effective level modifiers per chapter
Chapters Modifier
1–2 +4*
3–4 +5*
5–6 +6*
7–8x +7
9–10 +8
11–12x +9
13–14x +10
15–16x +11
17–18 +12
19–20x +13
21–22 +14
23–24 +15
Final +16

Fire Emblem: The Blazing Blade

See also: Gameplay modes § Eliwood's, Hector's, and Lyn's tales

The Blazing Blade is divided into three "tales" following one of the three main characters. Each tale has two difficulty modes: Normal Mode and Hard Mode.

Normal Mode

Lyn's tale on Normal Mode acts as an extended tutorial of sorts for the game and its mechanics. There are many scripted events and situations where the player must perform actions in a specific manner to progress.

Hector's tale on Normal Mode is unlocked by completing Eliwood's tale once. It features additional chapters and side quests, and is generally more difficult than Eliwood's tale on Normal Mode.

Augury is exclusive to Normal Mode.

Hard Mode

Unlocked by completing the game once. Lyn's tale is largely identical between Normal and Hard modes, with Hard Mode having no tutorials and fewer scripted events. As a result, the player is given more freedom, though it introduces loss conditions in chapters that were previously impossible to fail. In all tales on Hard Mode, experience gained from defeating enemies is reduced, with this being especially noticeable when a promoted unit defeats an unpromoted enemy. In many chapters, the number of deployment slots is reduced, giving the player fewer units to work with. Promoted enemies whose stats are calculated with autoleveling get a +19 effective level bonus instead of the +9 effective level bonus from Normal.

Eliwood Hard Mode is also unlocked by completing the game once. There are more enemies, and they may have differing inventories. They additionally have smarter AI overall, and will attack weaker units more often. Promoted enemies have higher stats overall, though unpromoted ones will typically have the same stats as their Normal Mode counterparts. In many chapters, the number of deployment slots is reduced, giving the player fewer units to work with.

Hector Hard Mode is unlocked by completing Hector Normal Mode once. It is the most challenging mode the game has to offer. Enemies have higher stats, differing inventories, and there are more of them. The composition of enemies can also vary greatly, requiring different strategies altogether to approach them. Each enemy gets +5 effective level bonus in all chapters of Hector Hard Mode.

Fire Emblem: The Sacred Stones

The Sacred Stones features three difficulty modes, all available from the start. In a similar manner to The Blazing Blade's three tales, The Sacred Stones features two routes following the two lords, splitting after chapter 8. In general, Ephraim's route is considered to be more difficult than Eirika's route.

Easy Mode

For first-timers. Game rules and controls will be explained to you as you play.
— Help text

The first eight chapters include tutorials and scripted events to facilitate them, but are otherwise identical to those in Normal mode. After Chapter 8 and the subsequent interlude chapter, all following main chapters in Easy Mode are mostly identical to their Normal Mode counterparts, only differing by enemies having lower stats overall. There are also some subtle differences between skirmishes and random drops in the two difficulties.

Easy Mode save files are colored green prior to the route split, then take on Normal Mode's colors after.

Effective level modifiers per chapter
Chapters Modifier
Japanese Localization
Prologue, Ch. 1 −0 −0
Ch. 2–5, 6–Final, Valni, Lagdou −2 −4
Ch. 5x −0 −2

Normal Mode

For experienced players. No game-play hints will be provided to you as you play.
— Help text

The game's standard difficulty. Guides to the game's mechanics are still available, but only through the menu. Fewer scripted events are present in the earlygame, giving the player a bit more freedom.

Generic enemies in The Sacred Stones's Normal and Easy modes are notoriously weak in localized versions; promoted enemies at low levels—in most chapters, up to level 3 on Normal and 5 on Easy—do not receive any additional levels to match a typical promoted unit, having only the base stats of their class. As a result, there are several cases where promoted enemies can have lower overall stats than unpromoted enemies.

Normal Mode save files are colored teal for Eirika's route and blue for Ephraim's route.

Effective level modifiers per chapter
Chapters Modifier
Japanese Localization
Prologue, Ch. 1, 5x −0 −0
Ch. 2–5, 6–Final, Valni, Lagdou −0 −2

Difficult Mode

For players seeking a real challenge. No instructions are given & difficulty is set to high.
— Help text

Enemies are notably stronger, with promoted enemies being given more levels worth of stat increases to put them on par with playable promoted units, making them significantly more dangerous as the game progresses. They additionally have smarter AI overall, and will attack weaker units more often. In most chapters following the route split and a few before, there are more enemies. Experience gained from defeating enemies is reduced, with this being especially noticeable when a promoted unit defeats an unpromoted enemy. Promoted enemies whose stats are calculated with autoleveling get a +19 effective level bonus instead of the +9 effective level bonus from Easy and Normal.

Difficult Mode save files are colored red for Eirika's route and brown for Ephraim's route.

Effective level modifiers per chapter
Chapters Modifier
Japanese Localization
Prologue, Ch. 1 +3 +1
Ch. 2–3 +4 +2
Ch. 4–14, Valni +5 +3
Ch. 15 Eirika +6 +3
Ch. 15 Ephraim +5 +4
Ch. 16–Final, Lagdou +6 +4

Fire Emblem: Path of Radiance

Easy Mode

Difficulty: ★
For novices who want a little helpful advice to get them familiar with the game.

— Help text

Added in the international versions of Path of Radiance to replace Maniac Mode, Easy Mode features fewer enemies, with them having higher levels but lower overall stats, resulting in player units receiving overall more experience. Presumably due to being built off of Maniac Mode, however, there are a select few instances of generic enemies having higher stats than those in Normal or Difficult Modes, though these instances are generally very minor and almost solely localized to the very beginning of the game. Certain enemies are positioned differently and/or given less aggressive AI. The general experience formula is also altered, providing more experience for both defeating enemies and simply damaging them. As well, Easy Mode awards the player more bonus experience than Normal Mode.

Easy Mode save files are colored red, just as Maniac Mode files would be.

Normal Mode

Difficulty: ★★
For players who already know their way around the game. This is the standard difficulty setting.

— Help text

The game's standard difficulty.

Normal Mode save files are colored green.

Difficult Mode

Difficulty: ★★★
For players looking for a serious challenge.

— Help text

Enemies have higher levels, making them stronger. There are more enemies overall, and they can have differing inventories and positions, such as being given Elixirs to replace Vulneraries, stronger weapons, etc. Certain enemies are also given more skills. The common "Clear bonus" for bonus experience is removed, and bonus experience gained by completing secondary objectives has been reduced. As well, experience gained from defeating enemies is reduced, with this being especially noticeable when a promoted unit defeats an unpromoted enemy. Numerous enemies also have adjusted AI patterns; for example, some bosses go from being stationary in Easy and Normal Modes to more aggressive in Difficult Mode. A select few chapters now have fog of war present.

The player is also given no gold at the start of the game, compared to lower difficulties starting the player off with 5,000. Several shops also have their contents changed, with stronger weapons being less consistently available to purchase. In more specific changes, the final boss is given a second form to be fought, which appears after he is defeated once with increased stats, and must be defeated to complete the chapter. Alongside this addition, the laguz unit that the player is given now appears only at the onset of the second form, as opposed to joining the player from the start of the map in Easy and Normal Modes.

Difficult Mode save files are colored blue.

Maniac Mode

Present only in the Japanese version, Maniac Mode serves as an even greater challenge than Difficult Mode. Maniac Mode is primarily defined by an exceedingly large number of enemies when compared to the other difficulties. Enemies in Maniac Mode have even higher levels than they do on Difficult Mode, making them even stronger. Due to how enemy growth rates are skewed, however, this often means they are simply much bulkier than on Difficult Mode, with not much higher offensive stats than those of Difficult Mode. Certain enemies have differing inventories, with effective weapons becoming more common than on Difficult Mode. Promoted enemies also become more common earlier than on Difficult Mode. Some enemies are additionally given more skills. Bosses have the same stats as they do on Difficult Mode, with the exception of Oliver. Experience gained from defeating enemies is reduced, providing even less than Difficult Mode. As well, less bonus experience is rewarded overall, omitting the common "Clear bonus" like Difficult Mode, while providing half as much bonus experience from clearing other objectives (except for the Chapter 10 undetected bonus).

The player is also given no gold at the start of the game, compared to lower difficulties starting the player off with 5,000. Several shops also have their contents changed, with stronger weapons being less consistently available to purchase. In more specific changes, the final boss is given a second form to be fought, which appears after he is defeated once with increased stats, and must be defeated to complete the chapter. Alongside this addition, the laguz unit that the player is given now appears only at the onset of the second form, as opposed to joining the player from the start of the map in Easy and Normal Modes.

Maniac Mode was removed in the international versions due to its generally poor reception from Japanese players.[1]

Maniac Mode save files are colored red.

Fire Emblem: Radiant Dawn

Easy Mode

Difficulty: ★
A brisk tempo makes this mode easy to get into and easy to play.

— Help text

Named Normal Mode in the Japanese version. Easy Mode requires less bonus experience to level up, only needing two-thirds as much as Normal Mode does. Easy Mode additionally presents various tutorials that can be viewed at the player's discretion.

Easy Mode save files are colored green.

Normal Mode

Difficulty: ★★
For players who already know their way around the game. This is the standard difficulty setting.

— Help text

Named Hard Mode in the Japanese version. Enemies have higher levels, making them stronger. There are more enemies overall, and they will often have different inventories and positions from Easy Mode. They additionally have smarter AI overall, and will attack weaker units more often. Numerous enemies also have adjusted AI patterns; for example, several bosses in Part 1 go from being stationary in Easy Mode to more aggressive in Normal Mode. Certain chapters have their objectives altered; for example, Part I, Chapter 1 is a "defeat the boss" chapter on Easy Mode, but an "escape" chapter on Normal Mode.

Normal Mode save files are colored blue.

Hard Mode

Difficulty: ★★★
For players looking for a serious challenge.

— Help text

Named Maniac Mode in the Japanese version. Unlocked after completing Normal Mode once. Enemies have even higher levels than they do on Normal Mode, making them even stronger. The weapon triangle is not in effect, and the player cannot see enemy movement ranges, forcing them to count them out manually to know how far they can reach. The amount experience received is harshly reduced overall, and the amount of bonus experience awarded for completing objectives is cut in half; compounding this further is that leveling up using bonus experience now requires 2× as much as it does in Normal Mode. However, the amounts and compositions of enemies for each chapter, as well as each chapter's objective, are the same as they are on Normal Mode.

As well, map affinity bonuses are disabled for both player and enemy units. Battle saves are also disabled, limiting players to the suspend feature, which has its temporary save deleted after being loaded.

In the Japanese release, an "extended script" is played instead of the standard script that is used on Easy and Normal Modes. The extended script goes into greater depth on the game's story and lore than the basic script did. The localizations only use the basic script on Hard Mode, with the extended script being cut entirely, amounting to a loss of roughly 5% of the game's story content.

Hard Mode save files are colored red.

Fire Emblem: Shadow Dragon

Normal Mode

Recommended for beginners and those playing the game for the first time. A special prologue introduces the story and game play.
— Help text

The game's standard difficulty. Normal Mode starts with a four chapter prologue which details the fall of Altea and Marth's escape, while also providing a tutorial of the game's general mechanics.

Normal Mode save files are not specially marked.

Hard Mode

Recommended for those seeking a challenge. Enemies are up to five degrees tougher than those in Normal mode. No prologue is included.
— Help text

Shadow Dragon differs from most games by having several modes—five of them—under the banner of "Hard Mode".

  • Hard (★)
  • Brutal (★★)
  • Savage (★★★)
  • Fiendish (★★★★)
  • Merciless (★★★★★)

All variations of Hard Mode exclude the four chapter prologue, starting the player off on Chapter 1, with Frey and Norne being unavailable. Each version gives enemies higher stats, weapon levels (and therefore their respective bonuses), and enemies can have higher level weapons such as Silver Swords and Bolganone much earlier. Enemies may also be given forged weaponry. Reinforcements appear at the start of enemy phase, and can act on the same turn they appear. Apart from these changes, however, the general positions, quantities, and behaviors of the enemies are largely identical to how they are on Normal Mode.

Hard Mode save files are marked with H1, H2, H3, H4, or H5 depending on which version is chosen.

Effective level modifiers per chapter
Chapters Modifier
H1 H2 H3 H4 H5
Ch. 1–17x, 20x, 24x +3 +6 +9 +12 +15
Ch. 18–22, 24 +4 +8 +12 +16 +20
Ch. 23, Endgame +5 +10 +15 +20 +25

Note: Defense and resistance are not affected by these effective level modifiers.

Minimum weapon levels
Modifier Normal H1 H2 H3 H4 H5
Minimum weapon level E C C B B A

Fire Emblem: New Mystery of the Emblem

New Mystery of the Emblem features four difficulty modes by default, as well as a single unlockable difficulty mode. Higher difficulties tend to have more enemies with higher stats and stronger equipment. Unusually, the turn requirements for entering side quest chapters become more lenient the higher the difficulty is.

Normal Mode

An entry-level difficulty for players with little experience. You can play the game while learning the basics.
— Help text

The game's standard difficulty.

Normal Mode save files are not specially marked.

Hard Mode

Recommended for those looking for responsive gameplay. Enemies are stronger than normal. Reinforcements act as soon as they appear.
— Help text

Enemies have higher stats, a minimum of C in all weapon levels, they can have different inventories and positions from Normal Mode, and there are more of them. Reinforcements appear at the start of enemy phase, and can act on the same turn they appear.

Hard Mode save files are marked with an "H" and one star (★).

Maniac Mode


This section has been marked as a stub. Please help improve the page by adding information.


Recommended for players seeking a challenge. The enemies are stronger than in Hard Mode.
— Help text

Enemies have even higher stats, a minimum of B in all weapon levels, they can have different inventories and positions from Hard Mode, and there are more of them; enemies toward the end of the game can have forged weapons. Reinforcements appear at the start of enemy phase, can act on the same turn they appear, and sometimes appear earlier.

Maniac Mode save files are marked with an "M" and two stars (★★).

Lunatic Mode

Stronger enemies than Maniac Mode, this mode easily has the highest level of difficulty the series can provide.
— Help text

Enemies have yet even higher stats, maximum weapon levels, and are all given +10 to their hit rate. Enemies can have higher level weapons such as Silver Swords and Bolganone much earlier; they may have forged weapons much earlier than in Maniac mode, and forged weapons in the late-game are stronger. All breath weapons used by enemy dragons have 1–2 range instead of merely 1 range. Reinforcements appear at the start of enemy phase, can act on the same turn they appear, and often appear earlier. There are also more enemies present in most chapters.

Certain very useful items, notably the Silver Card and the sole Warp staff are removed, with other, less useful items taking their place.

Lunatic Mode save files are marked with an "L" and three stars (★★★).

Lunatic′ Mode

Recommended for people with a dauntless spirit. Enemies are no stronger than Lunatic Mode, but always strike first.
— Help text

The game's highest difficulty, Lunatic′, also called "Lunatic Reverse", is unlocked by completing Lunatic Mode once; completing Lunatic in Casual mode will only unlock Lunatic′ on Casual Mode, while completing Lunatic in Classic Mode will unlock Lunatic′ on both Casual and Classic Modes.

Lunatic′ Mode is largely identical to Lunatic, except that enemies will always strike first when attacked, even on player phase.

Lunatic′ Mode save files are colored red and are marked with an "L′" and four stars (★★★★).

Effective level modifier

In higher difficulties, enemies receive stats as if they were at higher levels; this effective level increase depends on the chapter and the difficulty.

Effective level modifiers per chapter
Chapters Modifier
Normal Hard Maniac Lunatic(′)
Prologue 1 – Chapter 5 +0 +6 +12 +15
Chapter 6 – Endgame +0 +8 +16 +20
Note: Because of how the stats are calculated, these extra levels only affect defense and resistance for three enemies: Hardin, Gharnef, and Medeus.

Fire Emblem Awakening

Awakening features three difficulty modes available by default, as well as a single unlockable difficulty mode.

Normal Mode

For series beginners.
— Help text

The game's standard difficulty. The first several chapters include "slide guide" tutorials on the bottom screen to help new players, though these can be turned off in the settings menu. Enemies generally have low stats, and little to no unpromoted units will have any skills. Later on, promoted units can randomly have a single skill from their class tree's pool, though they are generally limited from having stronger skills such as the -⁠breaker series and offensive skills.

On Normal/Casual, the "Simplified" interface will be used by default instead of the "Full" interface.

Normal Mode save files are colored green.

Hard Mode

For experienced players.
— Help text

Enemies have higher overall stats, a minimum of C in all weapon levels, and there are more enemies in most chapters. Reinforcements appear at the start of enemy phase, and can act on the same turn they appear. They may also appear on earlier turns than on Normal Mode. Unpromoted enemies can randomly have one skill from their class pool, while promoted enemies can randomly have one skill, and later two, from their class tree's pool. Unlike Normal Mode, promoted enemies in hard mode can have more powerful skills such as the -⁠breaker series and offensive skills. Later enemies will also be equipped with forged weaponry (+4 Mt, +10 Hit). Very late into the game, or with certain effective weaponry, they may be forged to a stronger level than can be achieved by the player (+8 Mt, +20 Hit). Several enemy groups are also more aggressive, and begin moving on their own or if nearby enemies are provoked.

Unrelated to enemy behavior, the Reeking Box has its price increased in Hard Mode—from 500 gold to 4,800—making it more resource-intensive to grind for levels. Staves also award less experience than on Normal Mode.

Hard Mode save files are colored blue.

Lunatic Mode

For expert players.
— Help text

Enemies have much higher stats, maximum weapon levels, and there are typically even more enemies in each chapter compared to Hard Mode. Like in Hard Mode, reinforcements can act on the same turn they appear, and will often appear on earlier turns than on lower difficulties. Promoted enemies have access to more powerful skills earlier than in Hard Mode, and can have three or even more skills from their class tree's pool at random. Around halfway through the game, all enemies also have the skill Hit Rate +10, which is replaced later in the game with Hit Rate +20. Enemies have higher-level weapons such as Silver Swords much earlier, and will have forged weapons even earlier than Hard Mode enemies, with later enemies having weapons forged stronger than what the player can ever achieve (+8 Mt, +20 Hit). Several enemy groups have adjusted AI, with more of them being aggressive or waiting for units to be in range of multiple enemies. Enemy and NPC stats are additionally not variable as they are in lower difficulties, where they can vary by one point due to random growth rates.

As well, skirmishes scale differently; unlike in Normal and Hard modes, where their strength scales based on the location they are summoned, Lunatic Mode skirmishes scale based on several other factors, including main story progress, how many battles the player has fought, as well as the overall strength of the player's army. This new scaling system can result in skirmishes where the enemies are even stronger than those in the main chapters, to the point of eventually capping their stats.

Lastly, experience gain is calculated differently. Staves award even less experience than they do on Hard Mode. Experience gained from repeatedly attacking a single enemy will gradually diminish until it awards no experience at all, discouraging the player from abusing stationary, healing bosses to level up. Skirmishes also provide less experience, with each attack only giving one point.

Lunatic Mode save files are colored red.

Lunatic+ Mode

For Fire Emblem masters.
— Help text

The highest difficulty the game offers, Lunatic+ Mode is unlocked after completing Lunatic Mode at least once. The unlocking mechanism is somewhat obtuse, however; completing Lunatic/Casual will only unlock Lunatic+/Casual, while completing Lunatic/Classic will unlock Lunatic+ on both Casual and Classic modes.

Lunatic+ is largely identical to Lunatic, with the addition of several powerful enemy-exclusive skills distributed at random. Enemies will have two of these additional skills alongside what they can usually have from their class trees' skill pools.

Lunatic+ Mode save files are colored purple.

Fire Emblem Fates

Fates handles its difficulty modes differently depending on which of the three paths—Birthright, Conquest, or Revelation—is chosen. Fates is also the first game since Genealogy of the Holy War to allow the difficulty to be changed mid-playthrough; at any time outside a chapter, the difficulty can be lowered, but not increased.

Normal Mode

For series beginners.
— Help text

The game's standard difficulty. The prologue and the first six chapters include "slide guide" tutorials.

In Conquest, even on Normal Mode, enemy AI is noticeably smarter; they will not attack a unit that they cannot deal any damage to, among other changes.

Normal Mode save files are colored red and marked with one star (★).

Hard Mode

For experienced players.
— Help text

In all paths, enemies have higher overall stats, as well as a minimum of C in each weapon level. Enemies will also take advantage of Dual Strikes more often. In addition, the experience penalty applied for defeating lower-leveled enemies scales faster than on Normal Mode.

In Birthright, there are more enemies, and bosses are given more skills. More enemies are paired up. Several dropped items, such as Master Seals and Arms Scrolls available in Normal mode are no longer available.

In Conquest, there are more enemies, though not to the extent of Birthright's quantities, and generic enemies are given more skills, even ones their class trees do not have access to. Some enemies also have their positions changed, and more are paired up. Certain Dragon Veins have had their effects modified to make them trickier to use, or to allow the enemy to use them on occasion. In a few cases, there are fewer Dragon Veins to use per chapter.

Hard Mode save files are colored blue and marked with two stars (★★).

Lunatic Mode

For those seeking a challenge.
— Help text

In all paths, all level ups in this mode are predetermined upon a unit's recruitment, meaning the player cannot reset for different stat growths on a level up. As well, enemies have maximum weapon levels. In addition, the experience penalty applied for defeating lower-leveled enemies scales much faster than on Normal Mode or even Hard Mode.

In Birthright, enemies have slightly more HP than they do in Hard Mode, though their other stats are mostly identical. There are far more enemies present than even on Hard Mode, and in rare cases, such as with the Faceless, enemies are given a few more skills and weapons. More enemies are paired up.

In Conquest, enemies have identical stats to their Hard Mode counterparts. There are more enemies than on Hard Mode, though not quite to the extent of Birthright's quantities, and they have much more devious skill combinations, weapon loadouts, and placements. Late into the game, they will have dangerous enemy-exclusive skills such as Staff Savant and Inevitable End. More enemies are paired up. Certain reinforcement groups will have more triggers that can spawn them. Certain chapters also have fewer Dragon Veins to use, or have them in more difficult to reach locations.

In Revelation, enemies have higher stats overall than on Hard Mode. Promoted enemies are given the two skills from their respective base classes. Apart from these changes, however, few of the chapters' enemy setups are changed, with many chapters having the same number of enemies as on Hard or even Normal mode, though some enemies may gain the occasional ranged weapon.

Lunatic Mode save files are colored purple and marked with three stars (★★★).

Fire Emblem Echoes: Shadows of Valentia

Shadows of Valentia features two difficulties—Normal and Hard—omitting Lunatic mode. It additionally drops the option to change difficulty mid-playthrough.

Normal Mode

For series beginners.
— Help text

The game's standard difficulty. Enemy positioning and stats are nearly identical to how they are in Gaiden, though with some changes to account for new mechanics such as dungeons, as well as the new characters.

Hard Mode

For experienced players.
— Help text

Enemies have higher levels with according stat gains, making them stronger overall. As their actual levels are changed however, this has the side-effect of giving player units slightly more experience than in Normal Mode, as fighting a higher-level enemy awards more experience than a lower-level enemy. There are more enemies overall, and more of them are given weapons and items to make them more dangerous. Promoted enemies also become more common earlier on than in Normal Mode. In several cases, their positions are also completely reworked, removing certain easy strategies that were present in Gaiden and Echoes's Normal Mode.

Fire Emblem: Three Houses

Three Houses returns the ability to change the difficulty mid-playthrough; at any time via the options menu, the difficulty can be lowered, but not increased. Changing difficulty during preparations will force the battle to reload. Difficulty cannot be changed in the middle of a battle.

Normal Mode

For beginning and intermediate players.
— Help text

The game's standard difficulty. Enemies typically have few abilities apart from those innate to their class. Enemies that have combat arts or gambits are not likely to use them. Skirmishes have no activity cost, meaning the player can do as many as they want in a single day; this effectively allows for effectively infinite experience, gold, and other resources.

Normal Mode save files are colored blue.

Hard Mode

For experienced players.
— Help text

Enemies have higher levels with according stat gains, making them stronger overall. There are more enemies overall, and some are given different weapons, items, and battalions to make them more dangerous. Most enemies gain additional abilities, typically their weapon's skill level abilities, and occasionally their class's mastery ability. Numerous enemies also have adjusted AI patterns, with several enemies that were immobile on Normal Mode now being capable of moving.

Additionally, experience gained from fighting enemies is reduced, roughly providing 70% as much as on Normal Mode when fighting an enemy whose level is the same as the unit. In practice, this is mitigated by the higher levels given to enemies. The bonus given for defeating higher-leveled enemies scales slower than on Normal Mode; conversely, the penalty applied for defeating lower-leveled enemies scales faster than on Normal Mode, resulting in units gaining minimal experience if their level is at least 7 greater than their enemy. Skill experience gained from goals at the end of each in-game week is also reduced by 4 points, regardless of the character's proficiency in the chosen goals.[2]

Lastly, auxiliary battles now have an activity cost, limiting the player in how many they can do in a single day. This also limits the experience, gold, and other resources they can obtain.

Hard Mode save files are colored indigo.

Maddening Mode

For those who crave a challenge.
— Help text

Maddening Mode was added into the game in the 1.0.2 version update.

Enemies have even higher levels than on Hard Mode, but have significantly higher stats than their levels would suggest. There are more enemies than on Hard Mode as well, and some are given different weapons, items, and battalions to make them more dangerous. Most enemies are given more abilities, gaining stronger versions of their weapon's skill level abilities, as well as other abilities not normally associated with their class; for example, all generic Thieves are given Pass, and all generic Archers are given Poison Strike. Some enemies also have adjusted AI patterns, with even more bosses that were immobile on Hard Mode now being capable of moving, as well as enemies with combat arts and gambits being more likely to use them than on lower difficulties. Almost all reinforcements now appear at the start of enemy phase, and can act on the same turn they appear.

Hit rate penalties from using bows are also adjusted, with the first space beyond 2-range imposing a −30 Hit penalty instead of −20 Hit. Each space after this retains the −20 Hit penalty, however.[3]

Additionally, experience gained from fighting enemies is reduced, roughly providing 20% as much as on Normal Mode when fighting an enemy whose level is the same as the unit. While this is mitigated slightly by enemies having much higher levels, in practice experience gain is still much lower overall than on Normal or even Hard Mode. The bonus given for defeating higher-leveled enemies scales much slower than on Normal Mode; conversely, the penalty applied for defeating lower-leveled enemies scales much faster than on Normal Mode or even Hard Mode, resulting in units gaining minimal experience if their level is 4 or more greater than their enemy. As enemies within auxiliary battles do not have their levels scale as much with difficulty, they naturally provide extremely limited experience gains compared to Normal and Hard modes. Skill experience gained from goals at the end of each in-game week is also further reduced from Hard mode by 4 points, for a total of 8 points less than Normal mode, regardless of the character's proficiency in the chosen goals.[2]

Lastly, several paralogue chapters scale depending on progress through the story, with enemies becoming higher leveled the later the chapters are played.

Maddening Mode save files are colored purple. Clearing the game on a Maddening, non-New Game + save file will alter the title screen to have yellow lighting instead of the default bluish-green.

Prior to the update, there was unused data pertaining to the mode hidden in the game files, suggesting it was in development earlier, but needed to be polished before release.[4]

Unused difficulty

Unused data for a higher difficulty than Maddening called "Infernal" exists in the game's code. Enemies in Infernal Mode have much higher levels and stats than those in Maddening.[5]

A UI element for Infernal exists in the difficulty selection, colored maroon; however, Infernal save files use the same blue color as Normal Mode.[5]

Fire Emblem Engage


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Normal Mode

For new and intermediate players.
— Help text

The game's standard difficulty. Promoted enemies are not given their class-specific skills, even if their level is 5 or higher. Most enemies have an invisible skill that gives them −20 to their hit rate and avoid, with bosses and some other stronger enemies instead having a skill that gives only −10 to hit rate and avoid.

Normal Mode save files are colored green. On this difficulty, the Draconic Time Crystal has infinite uses.

Hard Mode

For experienced players.
— Help text

Enemies have higher overall stats, and there are more of them in most chapters; in particular their strength, magic, defense, and resistance are noticeably higher. The stat increases given are not always consistent—sometimes, specific enemy stats may even decrease from Normal to Hard Mode. Certain bosses that did not have Revival Stones in Normal Mode are given some, making it less easy to avoid taking any hits from them. Most bosses are also given the Stalwart skill to reduce the effectiveness of bonus damage. Several enemy groups are more aggressive, and begin moving on their own sooner than they would in Normal Mode.

In contrast, NPC units tend to have lower overall stats, making them more difficult to defend and keep alive. Experience gained from defeating enemies is reduced. Certain Ballistae are also given fewer uses.

Hard Mode save files are colored red. On this difficulty, the Draconic Time Crystal has 10 uses.

Maddening Mode

For those who seek a true challenge.
— Help text

Enemies have even higher stats than on Hard Mode, and there are typically even more enemies in each chapter compared to Hard Mode. Like Hard Mode, enemy stat increases are not always consistent, and may even be lowered in certain cases, though this tends to be offset by their increased stats in other areas. Certain enemies have their weapons, positions, and even classes changed entirely to make them more threatening. Promoted enemies are occasionally given special exclusive skills depending on their class; for example, enemy Heroes are given Triangle Adept, and enemy Warriors are given Fierce Stance. Enemy AI is also noticeably smarter, as they will not attack a unit that they deal zero damage to or a unit that they have a 0% hit rate against. This does not apply if enemies are able to deal damage via an ally's chain attack or if they are able to inflict secondary effects, like with skills such as Hobble.

Bosses are occasionally given more Revival Stones, making it more difficult to eliminate them in a short number of turns. In addition, almost all bosses are given either the Unbreakable or the Veteran+ skills; both render them immune to break, while the latter also completely negates bonus damage against them. Experience gained from defeating enemies is reduced even further. Certain Ballistae are also given even fewer uses.

Maddening Mode save files are colored purple. Furthermore, the player is unable to use Battle saves during a chapter and must use Bookmarks instead. Like hard mode, the Draconic Time Crystal has 10 uses.

Spinoffs

Difficulty modes by game
Game Difficulty mode Unlock conditions and notes
Tokyo Mirage Sessions ♯FE Friendly "A very-easy difficulty in which anyone can finish the game. Recommended for those who want to enjoy the story." Available only if the player gets a Game Over on Easy. If the player gets a Game Over, they can go back to just before they were defeated.
Easy "This difficulty is easier than Normal. Recommended for those who want to casually enjoy the game." If the player gets a Game Over, they can go back to just before they were defeated.
Normal "This is the standard difficulty. Recommended for those who are playing the game for the first time." If the player gets a Game Over, they are sent back to the title screen.
Hard "This difficulty is more challenging than Normal. Recommended for those who are confident in playing RPGs." If the player gets a Game Over, they are sent back to the title screen.
Lunatic "An insane difficulty. Vicious battles fraught with hardship await those who choose to walk this path." Available only after completing the game once. Difficulty cannot be changed during mid gameplay. If the player gets a Game Over, they are sent back to the title screen.
Heroes Normal Mode The initial difficulty of all Story Maps.
Hard Mode Unlocked for each chapter by completing it on Normal Mode. Costs slightly more Stamina to play.
Lunatic Mode Unlocked for each chapter by completing it on Normal Mode. Costs the most Stamina to play.
Infernal Mode Only available for special maps from June 16, 2017 onward. Costs as much Stamina as Lunatic to play.
Abyssal Mode Only available for special maps from August 28, 2018 onward. Extremely difficult.
Warriors Easy "For newcomers." Enemies are five levels lower compared to Normal.
Normal "For experienced players."
Hard "For experts." Enemies are five levels higher compared to Normal.
Lunatic Available only after completing Story Mode once. Enemies are 20 levels higher compared to Normal.
Warriors: Three Hopes Easy "For players who just want to enjoy the story."
Normal "For beginning and intermediate players."
Hard "For experienced players who like a challenge."
Maddening "For those who crave the ultimate test of skill." Available only after completing the game once on any route.

Trivia

  • In Fire Emblem: The Blazing Blade, chapters appearing exclusively in Lyn's tale and Eliwood's tale are assigned effective level modifiers for Hard Mode (+3 for Lyn's tale chapters and +5 for Eliwood's tale chapters), but this cannot be seen as such modifiers are only applied in Hector's tale.

Etymology and other languages

Difficulty

Names, etymology, and in other regions
Language Name Definition, etymology, and notes
English

Difficulty

--

Japanese

難易度

Difficulty level

Spanish

Dificultad

Difficulty

French

Difficulté

Difficulty

German

Schwierigkeit

Difficulty. Abbreviated as Schwierigk. in The Sacred Stones due to space restrictions.

Italian

Difficoltà

Difficulty

Dutch

Moeilijkheid

Difficulty

Korean

난이도

Difficulty

Simplified Chinese

难度

Difficulty

Traditional Chinese

難度

Difficulty

Easy

Names, etymology, and in other regions
Language Name Definition, etymology, and notes
English

Easy

--

Japanese

はじめて

First time

Spanish

Fácil

Easy

French

Facile

Easy

German

• Leicht
• Einfach

• Easy. Used in The Sacred Stones, Path of Radiance, and Radiant Dawn.
• Simple. Used in Warriors.

Italian

Facile

Easy

Normal

Names, etymology, and in other regions
Language Name Definition, etymology, and notes
English

Normal

--

Japanese

ノーマル
ふつう

• Normal
• Normal. Used in The Sacred Stones.

Spanish

Normal

Normal

French

Normal

Normal

German

Normal

Normal

Italian

Normale

Normal

Dutch

Normaal

Normal

Korean

노멀

Normal

Simplified Chinese

普通

Normal

Traditional Chinese

普通

Normal

Hard

Names, etymology, and in other regions
Language Name Definition, etymology, and notes
English

• Hard
• Difficult

Difficult is used in The Sacred Stones and Path of Radiance. Hard is used in the other games.

Japanese

ハード
むずかしい

• Hard
• Difficult. Used in The Sacred Stones.

Spanish

Difícil

Hard

French

Difficile

Hard

German

Schwer

Hard

Italian

Difficile

Hard

Dutch

Moeilijk

Hard

Korean

하드

Hard

Simplified Chinese

困难

Difficult

Traditional Chinese

困難

Difficult

Shadow Dragon

Names, etymology, and in other regions
Language Name Definition, etymology, and notes
English

• Hard
• Brutal
• Savage
• Fiendish
• Merciless

--

Japanese

ハード Lv1
ハード Lv2
ハード Lv3
ハード Lv4
ハード Lv5

• Hard Lv 1
• Hard Lv 2
• Hard Lv 3
• Hard Lv 4
• Hard Lv 5

Spanish

• Difícil
• Brutal
• Salvaje
• Inhumano
• Sin piedad

• Difficult
• Brutal
• Savage
• Inhuman
• Merciless

French

• Difficile
• Brutal
• Sauvage
• Féroce
• Impitoyable

• Difficult
• Brutal
• Savage
• Ferocious
• Merciless

German

• Schwer
• Brutal
• Grausam
• Teuflisch
• Gnadenlos

• Hard
• Brutal
• Cruel
• Devilish
• Merciless

Italian

• Forte
• Brutale
• Selvaggio
• Diabolico
• Spietato

• Hard
• Brutal
• Savage
• Diabolic
• Merciless

Maniac

Names, etymology, and in other regions
Language Name Definition, etymology, and notes
English
(unofficial)

Maniac

--

Japanese

マニアック

Maniac

Lunatic/Maddening

Names, etymology, and in other regions
Language Name Definition, etymology, and notes
English

• Lunatic
• Maddening

Lunatic is used in Awakening, Fates, Tokyo Mirage Sessions, Heroes, and Warriors, while Maddening is used from Three Houses onward.

Japanese

ルナティック

Lunatic

Spanish

Extremo

Extreme

French

Expert

Expert

German

Extrem

Extreme

Italian

Folle

Insane

Korean

루나틱

Lunatic

Simplified Chinese

超难

Super hard

Traditional Chinese

超難

Super hard

Lunatic′

Names, etymology, and in other regions
Language Name Definition, etymology, and notes
English
(unofficial)

Reverse Lunatic
Lunatic Reverse

Used in reference to how the enemies strike first even on the player phase.

Japanese

ルナティック′

Lunatic′; pronounced "Lunatic Dash". ′ is the prime symbol, used in mathematics to indicate that something is derived from something else.

Lunatic+

Names, etymology, and in other regions
Language Name Definition, etymology, and notes
English

Lunatic+

--

Japanese

ルナティック+

Lunatic+

Spanish

Brutal

Brutal

French

• Dément
• Expert +

• Demented; used in Awakening.
• Expert +; used in Warriors.

German

• Extrem+
• Wahrsinn+

• Extreme+
• Insanity+. Erroneous name used in the unlock message in Awakening.

Italian

Folle+

Insane+

References

  1. "But [the Fire Emblem team] also had quite a bit of feedback from people in Japan that said "it's simply unplayable" on [Maniac Mode]. So all of this was taken into consideration while creating the English version."Fire Emblem: Path of Radiance Interview, Nintendo World Report
  2. 2.0 2.1 kebFE / KeeperOfChemistry, Lectures Guide, FE3H.com, Retrieved: July 30, 2020
  3. kebFE / KeeperOfChemistry, Bow Hit Rate Penalty, FE3H.com, Retrieved: July 30, 2020
  4. DeathChaos, Fire Emblem: Three Houses - Maddening/Lunatic difficulty preview, YouTube, Published: August 12, 2019, Retrieved: August 15, 2019
  5. 5.0 5.1 Faerghast, Infernal Difficulty is Three Houses's Secret, Unfinished Mess. Will it be ready by Cindered Shadows?, YouTube, Published: January 18, 2020, Retrieved: July 7, 2022
Game mechanics
Out-of-battle management Base (BarracksBase CampBase conversationEveryone's ConditionsExpeditionGarreg Mach Monastery (Abyss) • My CastleSomniel) • Bonus experienceDungeonsGameplay modes (DifficultyCreature CampaignNew Game +) • GoldLessonsMila ShrinesPeddlerPreparationsRenownShopping (ArmoryBargainsForgeItem shopMerchantOnline shopSecret shop) • Supply convoyWorld map
Battles and chapters ArenaBattle saveBossCastleChapter (Alternate routeParalogueSide quest) • ChestCombat forecastEvent tilesHidden treasureObjectivesReinforcementSkirmishTerrain (Hazards) • Turn (Turn rewind) • Weather (Fog of war) • Village
Stats Units ActionAffinityAuthorityBiorhythmCharmClass (Class masteryClass relative powerUnit type) • Constitution (Aid) • DefenseExperienceFollow-up critical multiplierGrowth rateHit pointHoly BloodInventoryLevelLuckMagicMovementProficiencyResistanceSkillSpeedStrengthWeapon levelWeight
Weapons Brave weaponCritical rateDurabilityHitKill bonusMightPersonal weaponsRangeWeapon experienceWeapon levelWeightWorth
Unit mechanics and commands AdjutantAttack (Counterattack) • Auto-BattleBattalion (Gambit) • CantoChain attackChain GuardClass change (Reclass) • Combat artCrestsDance (GaldrarPlaySing) • Death (Decoy) • DismountDragon VeinEmblem RingsFatigueInventoryLaguz transformationLove (JealousyInheritance) • Pair UpRallyRecruitmentRescue (Capture) • Skills (Offensive skill) • SmashStaggering BlowStatus effectsSupportTalkTradeUnit (AvatarBond unitsBonus unitEinherjarLoan unitPrisonerReplacement unitSubstitute character) • Visit
Calculations AttackAttack speedAvoidBonus damageCritical hit (Combination bonusDodgeTriangle Attack) • Hit rate (True hit) • Random number generatorWeapon triangle (Trinity of magic)
Connectivity amiiboData transferDouble DuelDownloadable contentLink ArenaMultiplayer battleOnline shopSpotPassStreetPass
Other BarrierBirthdayClass rollGlitchesMultiple endingsRankingsSound RoomTactician bonus